Fifty Shades of Grey is the trending topic, again. How do I know this? My social media feed makes sure I know with the floods of overly excited, lust-filled women running to the store to snatch up this juicy film. Let me also add that due to this perpetual P.S.A., my social media news-feed has become much more shorter as I proudly over-use Facebook's "hide feed," option in the hopes to stow away the gross displays of "thirstiness" from women, and in the process guard my heart, mind, and eyes.

What surprised me was the handful of professing Christian women that I do follow looking forward to watching the movie, even more so their sharp and asperous replies to the comments from other Christian's on why we should NOT be watching, let alone owning this movie.

In the past, I have made comments about Christians watching shows like Scandal, where every Thursday the mistress, Olivia Pope is praised for being an independent, strong woman, although she is having an illicit affair with a married man. Then we have ABC's provocative series, Mistresses which follows four girlfriends who support each other in their journey to self-discovery all the while carrying on illicit relationships with married men and such.

I am not saying that watching these shows or movies is a sin. But let's be honest with ourselves for a moment. Are these types of movies healthy for our walk with Christ? Is it glorifying God or our flesh? When you consider this movie FSOG, what truly entices you to watch it?

One of the biggest responses I receive from Christian women justifying their poor choice of entertainment is:

"It's only entertainment. Christians don't have to be boring." Wrong!

"It's just a movie." This lie has to be the BIGGEST one. I have a question to ask the godly women. Would you watch this movie with Jesus sitting next to you? Okay, I know that sounds cheesy, but would you? Would it be just a movie then? The MPAA, in rating this movie used the phrase, "unusual behavior" to describe the movie's content. The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, that it is God's will, for our sanctification that we abstain from sexual immorality, so that each of us knows how to possess our own vessel in sanctification and honor, not with lustful desires, like the Gentiles who did not know God. Do you believe that watching this movie will not fill your mind with lustful desires? How does a movie containing (and condoning) torture, sexual violence, domination and submission to someone who they are NOT married to honoring to God?

"God doesn't want us to live a boring life." When did we get the impression that the Christian life was boring? Jesus did not die on the cross so that we can have a "fun" life, but rather eternal life. His blood poured out on the cross for every wicked, defiled, lustful thought you have, not so that you can have your best life now. True, genuine enjoyment, pleasure, peace, and hope is found in Jesus Christ. Walking with God is not easy, therefore it cannot be boring (it is pretty interesting actually).

"I am married, so there isn't anything wrong if I watch the movie with my husband. We can get ideas on how to make the bedroom more creative" As a wife married to a man that struggled with pornography, lust and sexual sin for many, many years this statement has to be the most heart breaking of them all. So often I counsel wives whose lives have been completely shattered by the sins of sexual immorality of their spouses. This particular statement also offends me. Marriage and sex were created by God to glorify God. How can Hollywood make your marriage better, when Hollywood marriages end daily? If the fire has burned out in your marriage, Christian Grey won't revive it. Instead, seek God in prayer. Ask Him to rekindle the love and intimacy in your marriage. Ask God to reignite your marriage. Pray for creativeness (if it is something that lacks) and an increase in your sexual drive. God created sex to be fun, intimate, sexy, inviting, steamy, etc... with your spouse in the context of marriage.

Often times wives in their desperate state succumb to desperate measures by introducing pornography and sex toys into their marriage in the hopes to set ablaze their sex life. But be careful that this right of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak (1 Cor. 8:9). My husband's pornography addiction and struggles with lust nearly destroyed our marriage. As his wife and his help-meet, there is no way that I could ever place him in a situation where his sexual sobriety could be compromised. How is watching a man sexually torture a young woman make me desire sex with my husband? And what will it do to my husband? Will this be a stumbling block? Is this guarding my husband's eyes and heart?

These are our Christian leaders, mothers, wives, teens that are not just struggling, but addicted to pornography.

Pornography is considered to be more addictive than crack cocaine, because cocaine can be excreted from the body. Pornographic and sexual images cannot. Those explicit and lustful images neurochemically and permanently stay with a person, forever.

I won't act like I have not watched movies or shows that have had sexual content. I have. But even in some of the shows I watch,the remote stays right by me, so that I can quickly change the channel, hit fast-forward, and in some cases I have had to avoid watching these movies/shows altogether. The last thing I would want to do is cause my husband to stumble, or have that much confidence in my own flesh to think that this movie wouldn't have any effect on me, my mind, and my heart. If it makes me, or even my fellow brethren uncomfortable, then it isn't worth it. The Spirit of God lives in each and everyone of His children and it will lead you into making the right decision. Do not ignore it!

In the end we must all follow our own convictions, but let's strive to feed our eyes and hearts with the things of God. Things that will encourage and edify us in the faith and our fellow brothers and sisters.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. - Philippians 4:8

* This posts was originally published in May 2015, but with the recent upcoming release of the FHOG sequel we decided to re-publish.